Surfing Guides at Surfer Space

A wetsuit is a protective garment used for watersports such as scuba diving, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing and triathlon. A modern, warm-water wetsuit is mostly made from thin open-cell neoprene, which provides limited thermal protection for activities in cold water, but protects the wearer in warm water from sun exposure. Cold-water wetsuits are built differently, have seams which do not leak, and provide good protection from cold water (to about 45°F, or 8°C) for up to 60 minutes in shallow water (less than 10 meters or 33 feet).

Surfboard wax (also known as surfwax ) is a formulation of natural and synthetic wax for application to the deck of a surfboard, bodyboard, or skimboard, to keep the surfer from slipping off the board when paddling out or riding a wave.

Fistral Beach is a major surfing beach of the United Kingdom, located at Newquay, in Cornwall. The beach is particularly straight and is about 2500 feet (750 metres) in length. It is mainly sandy and faces North-West towards the Atlantic Ocean. It is also backed by steep sand dunes.

Looking North from the Southern end of Fistral Beach
North FistralDuring the summer period it can get extremely crowded, both on the beach and in the sea, especially at high tide when most of the sand is covered by water. It is popular with surfers for its large clean breaks and a good right hander.

The Beach

The sandy 800 m beach at Croyde stands in a sheltered bay and is the main reason that it is such a popular holiday destination. The shallow slope of the beach, the mean high and low water marks are 500m apart, makes it safer for children.

Down End is the headland at the south end of Croyde Bay, the larger ridge to the north is Baggy Point. A large dune system has formed past the high tide mark. Sand underlies the land surface between the beach and the centre of Croyde village, 600 m to the east.

Surfboards are long, buoyant decks used in the sport of surfing. They are relatively light, but strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave. Like the sport itself, they were invented in Hawaii, where they were known as Papa he‘e nalu in the Hawaiian language, and usually made of wood from local trees, such as koa, and were often over 15 feet in length and extremely heavy. The major advances over the years were the addition of one or more fins on the bottom rear of the board to improve directional stability and a change of materials and shapes.

Regular/Natural foot - Right foot on back of board

Goofy foot - Left foot on back of board

Take off - the start of a ride

Drop in - dropping into (engaging) the wave, most often as part of standing up

Drop in on, cut off, or "burn" - taking off on a wave in front of someone closer to the peak (considered inappropriate)

Duck dive - pushing the board underwater, nose first, and diving through an oncoming wave instead of riding it

Before you begin surfing

Your board is the most important peice of equipment you will need for surfing. Most new starters use a foam board (Foamy) which is a tough, bouyant board covered in
a soft(ish) foam. This covering produces more grip and less pain if you fall onto it.

The size of the board you choose will determine how easy it is to stand up
for the first time. The general rule of thumb is the longer the board, the easier it is to stand up. Any board between 8' to 9' should be suitable. This size of board